Fishing Timber And Brush

[clayton86]

What would you use to fish timber and brush I have a spot I hit yesterday with the wife in her first ever canoe trip and its loaded with tons I mean tons of submurged logs and stumps. The other side is all brush hanging in the water. The depth is anywhere from 4ft to 10ft and the creek is only a moderate cast length across in spots not wide at all.

Species there's both large and small mouth mostly largemouth iv only ever caught 1 smb and it was yesterday. Then there's also tons of pike as well.

I was thinking brush hogs and jigs basic fliping stuff. Iv never reall flipped and pitched this stuff just practiced how in open water. I woulda tried yesterday but kinda hard when sitting in a canoe normaly I stand when alone or with my nephew but the wife was freaking out so I couldent really do much I just threw spinner baits landed a few missed tons cuz I couldent set the hook without her freaking we would tip. So I'm hoping to get out alone to hit all that timber this week so it will be prespawn fish but if not I won't be able to go out till middle of june so spawn and post spawn. Any thoughts

[Catt]

Look for break lines such as edges,irregularities, points formed by trees, washouts leading to the creek channel.

As for lures a multitude of lures will work

[laus]

I'd crawl a jig-and-pig (weedless) over as much wood as I could, taking time to cast from every angle.....maybe give anyone uncomfortable in the canoe a fishing rod and gently get them used to the joy of fishing

[Red]

I fish what you described about 95% of the time. My best producer in this kind of junk is a t-rigged Rage Craw with a 1/8 or 1/4 tungston bullet weight pegged. Next would be a crank of some sort, for me it is usually a Bandit 200 or a square bill. Spinnerbaits also have worked well for me. Whatever you use, make sure you have the proper gear. Just yesterday I was fishing some timber with a crank, but I was too lazy to switch the crank to my squarebill rod and was using a ML rod (which I normally use in open water for crankin) with 10lb test. I hooked into a good fish and actually had to use the TM to assit me in getting the fish away from the cover, with my HVY squarebill rod I know I could have just horsed her out of the junk. Good luck!

Cliff

P.S. If all else fails, try a weightless fluke, cast and let it die.

[clayton86]

My wife was fishing yesterday but she expects to catch something every single cast and she wasn't getting bite at all so she sat there pouting because the night befor we were slaming smallies below the dam we were on with the canoe.

I was using some flukes but they wernt taking it I had a gill grab it that was it then I tried the jig but was tough in the small canoe and a 76mh veritas without her getting in the way then I also used a trigged rage anaconda nothing worked but a white t1 spinner

[Chris]

Fatfree shad with that rotating hook and a Bandit 200 with that kahle treble hook are great lures to use in timber.

[ArkieHawg]

Spinnerbait

[ArkieHawg]

If you throw a crankbait, cut off the front facing hook on the front treble. This really helps to keep you from snagging trees. Works great for me, and haven't had any problems with losing fish.

[Catt]

It aint what you throw it's where you throw it

[Chris]

Actually with the two lures I mentioned don't cut off any hooks. With the rotating hook of the fatfree shad the bend of the hook is bent in such a way that you have the same bite as a regular round bend but because of the bend it is a little harder to stick brush with it. The same with the kahle hook because the point is bent in the hook will go through brush rather well. Also the diving pitch of both lures also help them get through wood cover.

[Fat-G]

To make this short: pitch a jig to every part of the tree/bush.

[bassfisherjk]

Can't go wrong with a T-rigged Baby Brush Hog.Work each piece of cover thoroughly.Good Luck!

[Fishes in trees]

My appoach to fishing timber and brush varies, mostly by water color. In clear water,(2' or more visibility) my first approach is to throw a wacky rigged senko, on fairly heavy fluorocarbon line to obvious shadow pockets and shade lines.

In stained to muddy water, my initial approach would be to throw a DC8 or DC 16 Timber Tiger.

Pitching a jig or a 10" Berkley power worm is an option in any water color.

I don't know about pitching out of a canoe though, catch a stump wrong or have wind blow you into a tree wrong and you're going over.

[zach t]

Swimbait. It will not get caught with a stead retrieve. If can be manipulated to fall into holes in timber, brush the cover, etc.

Also, a hook set isn't as important on a good swimbait bite. They hook themselves.

[J Francho]

A jig, spinnerbait, frog, toad, t-rigged plastic (weighted or unweighted), and even some crankbaits all work well around timber.

[wisconsin heat]

If you throw a crankbait, cut off the front facing hook on the front treble. This really helps to keep you from snagging trees. Works great for me, and haven't had any problems with losing fish.

I do this with both hooks and it works GREAT, thinking of it now, I probably dont need tocut one off the rear treble, but its good assurance

[bobbyc]

I do well with a gitzit in crawfish with a five/eighth jighead in brush and fall down..timber.

[breezy]

With submerged stumps, laydowns, etc I like to use a jig + craw trailer, shaky head or a t-rig. These have just been the best producers for me, although from this post there are obviously many options.

If the cover is a lot thicker (submerged brush) where even a jig will get hung up often I almost always have a senko style worm tied on. I will either t-rig it weedless or use it on a wacky rig (again, rigged weedless or sometimes with a hook guard). A weightless t-rigged senko will come through some of the thickest cover without getting snagged. And the best thing is if you do get it snagged, you're only out a worm or maybe a hook. Losing several $3+ jigs per day can get expensive quick.